Design Structure Matrix Methods and Applications

Overview

Design structure matrix (DSM) is a straightforward and flexible modeling technique that can be used for designing, developing, and managing complex systems. DSM offers network modeling tools that represent the elements of a system and their interactions, thereby highlighting the system’s architecture (or designed structure). Its advantages include compact format, visual nature, intuitive representation, powerful analytical capacity, and flexibility. Used primarily so far in the area of engineering management, DSM is increasingly being applied to complex issues in health care management, financial systems, public policy, natural sciences, and social systems. This book offers a clear and concise explanation of DSM methods for practitioners and researchers.

The book’s four sections correspond to the four primary types of DSM models, offering tools for representing product architectures, organization architectures, process architectures, and multidomain architectures (which combine different types of DSM models to represent multiple domains simultaneously). In each section, a chapter introducing the technique is followed by a chapter of examples showing a variety of applications of that DSM type. The forty-four applications represent a wide range of industries (including automotive, aerospace, electronics, building, and pharmaceutical), countries (among them Australia, Germany, Japan, Turkey, and the United States), and problems addressed (modularity, outsourcing, system integration, knowledge management, and others).

About the Authors

Steven D. Eppinger is Professor of Management Science and Innovation at MIT Sloan School. He holds the General Motors Leader for Global Operations Chair and has a joint appointment in MIT’s Engineering Systems Division. He is Codirector of MIT’s System Design and Management Program.

Tyson R. Browning is Associate Professor of Operations Management at the Neeley School of Business at Texas Christian University. His background in systems engineering and project management includes a Ph.D. from MIT.

Endorsements

“Steven Eppinger and Tyson Browning have synthesized more than two decades of research into an amazing resource for designers and managers of complex systems. The book lays a foundation with a clear and concise tutorial of the Design Structure Matrix method. The authors then bring the tool to life with applications as diverse as software, aircraft engines, and facilities design.”—Karl Ulrich, Vice Dean of Innovation, CIBC Professor of Entrepreneurship and e-Commerce, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania

“At last, there is one book on the design structure matrix method and its applications that addresses the entire spectrum of product architecture, organization design, and process optimization. The rich, real world examples are based on years of research and are excellent resources for mastering the DSM method. Every engineering leader will benefit from the concepts in this book.”—Xinqun Qui, John Deere Power Systems

“As an industrial practitioner of DSM methods since 1995, I have seen how powerful these models can be for visualization and management of complex engineering challenges. Steven Eppinger and Tyson Browning have compiled more than twenty years of DSM experience to create the definitive body of DSM knowledge. I strongly recommend this book.”—H. Mike Stowe, Senior Process Engineer, The Boeing Company; Leader, DSM Industry Special Interest Group (SIG)